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So how do you use an eldar autarch with wings (mainly becuase the model looks cool imo)? The only way I can think is to run him in a unit of hawks but hawks aren't that good in cc, which is where the autrach wants to be. Also what wargear would be best to give him?

So what do you guys think? Anyway to use him with wings or just not bother?

If you don't care about being highly competitive then go for it, but in general Autarchs aren't great to begin with (they are always going to be secondary HQ choices after a Farseer) and Wings are probably the least useful of his options. On Foot > Jetbike > Warp Generator > Wings, in order of usefulness/competitiveness.

Your first assumption is also pretty flawed, an Autarch does NOT want to be in assault. He is a T3 character with at best a 3+ normal save and a 4++, so he is incredibly easy to kill (and will catch powerfists to the face over and over again). Offensively he is pretty terrible as well, you can make him hit reasonably hard with a Laser Lance on the charge, but not so hard that its going to break units reliably (not that you want to in a single round anyway, since it just gets you shot), and after that you are hamstrung by S3.

From a competitive POV an Autarch is useful for his reserve manipulation alone, but you don't tool him up because he is a terrible combat character. You generally give him a Fusion Gun since the BS6 meltagun is nice in an army which needs more melta units, but that's about it. For less competitive builds, on a Jetbike with Lance, Fusion Gun and Mandiblaster has some use adding more punch to JetCouncils, but as mentioned falls on its face after the first round. I've also seen Jump Generator, Fusion Gun and Power Weapon used to add some more punch to Warp Spider units in foot based armies, but its quite a few points just to make a sub par unit decent.

Sadly the Warp Jump Generator is better than wings in pretty much every repsect. He gains jump shoot jump when hes with a unit of Warp Spiders. The Spiders also make him passable in close combat for a couple of reasons.

1) between the Autarch and the Exarch you can get 10 high initiative power weapon attacks.
2) 3+ save on the Spiders helps them survive return hits
3) Withdraw on the Warp Spider exarch allows the squad to leave combat at the end of your opponent's assault phase, to move shoot and assault again

The reason that all of this is important is because the Autarch is not a beatstick. And if you try to use him as such, he will die horribly. You send him into TWC- splat. You send him into Terminators? Splat. A Captain with a Relic Blade? Splat. You get the idea. What he wants to be doing is bullying. Use the natural speed of the warp spiders and go pick on something like Devestators, or a Space Marine Combat Squad holding an objective. If your opponent devotes sending an actual combat unit to get to your Autarch, whatever. Because you can simply hit and run and easily evade pretty much any unit in the game (warp spiders are the fastest infantry unit in the game) Of course all of this stuff is just making use of his wargear options. the real reason people take him is Master Strategist. +1 to reserve rolls opens up a lot of strategy at higher point games, when you want to be able to alpha strike at the bottom of turn 2. Aside from Master Strategist the Autarch really isn't that great of a character. I personally like using him with Warp Spiders and using him as of all of the aspect warriors they compliment his wargear options the best. Still Warp Spiders are over priced, and the Autarch's war gear options are over priced... so like... most people just run 80 point autarchs with a fusion gun, and that IS the most competitive.

A Wing Autarch could be useful if you are going for a swooping hawk themed army. Yes. It can work. Check out some of Blue Dagger's posts.

Basically, as Blue Dagger Explains it, you take 3 min hawk squads, and Autarch with Wings and a Fusion gun, and Baharroth. Rest of your points go into things that can threaten tanks.
Gleening from Blue Dagger's post- the idea is that you have +1 to your reserve rolls, and 4 grenade packs per turn (Baharroth is run separately) So you try to open up your opponents tanks then bomb them from space with swooping hawks and he can't retaliate against them because you skyleap everyturn.

Is it competitive? No. Is it Fun? Absolutely. Will it annoy your opponent to no extent constantly being bombarded by units that are never on the table? To no end!

Haha My name was evoked thus I feel the need to post. All points so far are right on point. The autarchs only real use is +1 reserves nowadays thanks to S3 T3 awfulness.

Akaean hit the main point though Barroth is if you are just looking for the 100% annoyance factor. Other wise just stick with 3x 4 hawks + exarch with skyleap and sunrifle. You can also make one pack the Auarch escort unit and take a hawkstalin since the S5 can do something to rear armor when you drop in to use the autarch's melta.

Depending on the mission you are playing it can be mildly competitive as home brewed tournament scenarios sometime like to have a "choose a unit your opponent had to kill" or "be here at the end of the game". Both of these situations you can rubberhawk till the end of the game, bombing each turn, then land and fire about 42 shots into a unit.

I've recently put wings on my autarch, and while I agree he is a secondary HQ, people tend to underestimate him. I often keep him in my dire avenger squads, jumping from one to the other. the wings allow him to get into position where he's needed. if he has a power weapon he will be taking down most enemies easily with his WS6, with doom he is a beast in close combat. especially with mandy blasters. the only problem with him is his S/T 3, so he isn't very survivable, but he does have an invul save.

I never send him to fight alone, I almost always keep him in a squad. This adds to his survivability and his close combat abilities are still applicable. the wings are mainly to get him from one place to another, not the selling point of him. this tactic has gotten me to kill two fire warrior squads, and a crisis team in one game. and he also killed a space marine command squad, a squad of tactical space marines, and a squad of devastators. mind you those were very lucky days.

I agree that the wings are not competitive, but they are fun. once I get some warp spiders in my army I'll be replacing the wings with those.

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Outside of hawks, the only reason I could see taking wings is if you really quickly need to detach the autarch from one squad and attach him to another one 12" away. Not only do you get the movement distance, but you ignore intervening terrain.

Why you would want to have the flexibility to skip him between squads is beyond me, though.

"Why you would want to have the flexibility to skip him between squads is beyond me, though."

well speaking for myself, I normally use him to add close combat power to other squads, squads
like the dire avengers or guardians are normally what I have him with. he isn't an essential part
of my army, but he is good insurance for squads that I want alive to stay alive.

once I can get my hawks all painted up, lookin all pretty and stuff I'll be giving him a fusion gun
so he can help them pop tanks and to add his close combat skills. which should be over the weekend
if I can get enough work done.

as far as skipping him between squads I don't like to make him bounce around, he normally goes from the dire avengers
and then to the guardians or adds punch to the scorpions to help them out with his power weapon.
it's fairly rare that he will go from squad to squad.

and this bit of mine is quickly turning into a text wall so I'mma stop here hahaha!

have a good one!